1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to rotating electric machinery. In particular, this invention relates to a two phase brushless torque motor winding which is wound in a toroidal helix configuration.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The design configuration utilized by conventional motors of the prior art, that of a permanent magnet stator and a wound iron rotor, have some undesirable performance characteristics and are relatively expensive to manufacture. In addition, the miniature motors now available are generally intended for use in toys where a relatively inexpensive product is desired, or the miniature motors are of a very high quality for use in time pieces and measurement systems where a very high degree of accuracy is required. However, motors of the last mentioned type are more complicated and considerably more expensive than the aforementioned toy motors.
The closest known prior art to the subject invention is an electric motor described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,191,081 to Fritz Faulhabler. A permanent magnet miniature motor is disclosed therein comprising a stationary magnet coaxially located within a yoke, and a rotor having a hollow cylindrical armature located within the stationary magnet. The armature has a winding of sequential cylindrically and helically wound wire turns around, and restricted to the periphery of the armature. Each winding turn of the armature, in turn, extends in skewed relationship to the rotor axis from one axial side of the armature to the other along a portion of the peripheral spacing between each two sequential north-south field poles of the magnet. In addition, the aforementioned motor includes a commutator which has mutually insulated sequential segments individually electrically connected to a plurality of taps distributed on the periphery of the winding.
While the last mentioned device of the prior art performs satisfactorily for its intended purpose, that of providing a relatively inexpensive miniature motor which may be utilized in measurement systems and the like, the last mentioned device is complex in design, does not operate in exactly the same manner as the subject invention, and contains a combination of elements that is somewhat different from that of the present invention.